Day: January 25, 2020

As in Bahir Dar, the aspects of Gondar that will stick with me are not the ones on the tourist brochures. The city is significant primarily as the capital of Ethiopia in the 17th and 18th centuries, and as the home of European-esque castle ruins from that era (in the Portuguese style, according to my guidebook). On a hot midday I walked through the ruins' entrance gate, past a minibus...

The typical northern Ethiopian circuit begins in Bahir Dar, north-northwest of Addis on Lake Tana. While it's a significant stop in its own right, Bahir Dar is also a springboard for a trio of legendary historical sites, Ethiopia's own Golden Triangle. They have evocative names, with taglines to match: Gonder, the Camelot of Africa. Axum, the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in...